CHAPTER SIX:BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING
1766 Words
Run.”
For half a second, Kai simply stared at Adrian’s hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.
Then the sound of approaching footsteps snapped him back to reality.
Headmaster Lucian Blackwood was not someone either of them wanted to explain themselves to—especially not while dripping fountain water all over academy property in the middle of the night.
Kai reacted instantly.
He ran.
Adrian didn’t let go.
They tore across the west courtyard, their wet shoes slipping dangerously against the slick stone as the Headmaster’s voice rang sharply behind them.
“Stop at once!”
Neither of them listened.
Kai was breathless within seconds, partly from exhaustion and partly from the absurdity of the situation.
This was ridiculous.
Completely, utterly ridiculous.
Hours ago he’d been lying in bed thinking about scholarship renewal and failed practice sessions.
Now he was sprinting through the dark with Adrian Vale, soaked to the bone, fleeing disciplinary action because of a prank that had somehow escalated into mutual attempted drowning.
His life had officially become nonsense.
“Left,” Adrian hissed.
Kai didn’t question it.
They veered sharply into a narrow side corridor just as footsteps thundered into the main courtyard behind them.
The corridor was old and rarely used, tucked behind the academy’s west wing.
Dust coated the stone floor.
Moonlight spilled faintly through narrow arched windows.
Adrian finally released Kai’s wrist, motioning for silence.
Both of them pressed themselves against the cold wall, breathing hard.
The sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
Closer.
Then farther away.
Kai held his breath.
After several tense moments, silence settled.
Neither moved.
And then—
A strangled sound escaped Kai’s throat.
Adrian turned sharply.
Kai’s shoulders were shaking.
At first Adrian looked confused.
Then realization dawned.
Kai was trying not to laugh.
Trying and failing.
The absurdity of everything crashed over him all at once.
The banner.
The fountain.
The chase.
The look on Headmaster Blackwood’s face when he’d spotted them bolting across the courtyard like criminals.
A helpless laugh escaped him.
Then another.
And suddenly Kai was laughing so hard he had to brace himself against the wall.
It was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Across from him, Adrian stared in disbelief.
Then—against all logic—his lips twitched.
Kai looked up just in time to see it.
And that made him laugh harder.
“Oh no,” Kai gasped between breaths. “Don’t tell me you’re about to—”
Adrian let out a quiet, involuntary laugh.
Kai froze.
The sound was startlingly unfamiliar.
Real.
Unrestrained.
Nothing like Adrian’s usual dry amusement.
It was warm.
And somehow that made Kai laugh all over again.
“This is your fault,” Kai managed.
Adrian shook his head, still visibly fighting a smile.
“You shoved me first.”
“You lied to get me out there.”
“You believed me.”
“You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
Kai groaned.
And then, somehow, they were both laughing.
Standing in a forgotten corridor at nearly one in the morning, drenched, exhausted, and sharing what had to be the most absurd moment either of them had ever experienced.
It felt… strange.
Not bad.
Just strange.
Kai had spent years seeing Adrian as one thing:
His rival.
Cold. Arrogant. Impossible.
But this version of him—hair falling messily over his forehead, trying and failing to suppress genuine laughter—felt unfamiliar.
Human.
Kai didn’t know what to do with that.
Eventually their laughter faded.
The silence that followed was different from their usual tense standoffs.
Softer.
Neither seemed eager to break it.
Kai glanced sideways.
Adrian was leaning against the wall, breathing steadier now.
There was still the faintest trace of amusement on his face.
“You look ridiculous,” Kai said.
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“You’re soaked.”
“So are you.”
“Yes, because someone dragged me into a fountain.”
Kai looked offended.
“You dragged me in first.”
“You shoved me.”
“You deserved it.”
Adrian considered this.
Then, to Kai’s surprise, he gave a small nod.
“Fair.”
Kai blinked.
“You’re agreeing with me?”
“Don’t get used to it.”
A grin tugged unexpectedly at Kai’s mouth.
This was bizarre.
Actually talking to Adrian without wanting to throttle him felt deeply unnatural.
And yet…
It wasn’t terrible.
They stood there for a while longer, listening to the quiet hum of the sleeping academy.
Eventually Adrian straightened.
“We should go.”
Kai nodded.
The moment felt fragile somehow, like speaking too loudly might shatter it.
They left the corridor carefully, avoiding the west courtyard entirely.
The walk back to the dormitories was quieter than usual.
Not hostile.
Just thoughtful.
When they reached the split between the boys’ dorm corridors, Adrian paused.
Kai stopped too.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Adrian said, “About earlier.”
Kai frowned.
“The prank?”
“Yes.”
Kai folded his arms.
“What about it?”
Adrian hesitated.
Actually hesitated.
“I may have taken it too far.”
Kai stared.
Had Adrian Vale just apologized?
The world truly was ending.
Kai tilted his head.
“Was that an apology?”
Adrian’s expression cooled instantly.
“No.”
“Sounded like one.”
“It wasn’t.”
Kai smirked.
“Sure.”
Adrian rolled his eyes.
“Goodnight, Kai.”
He turned and walked away.
Kai stood there for a moment, watching him disappear down the corridor.
Something warm and unfamiliar settled awkwardly in his chest.
He ignored it.
Then headed to bed.
---
The next morning, Kai woke almost convinced the previous night had been some bizarre fever dream.
Then he noticed his still-damp clothes hanging over his desk chair.
Right.
The fountain.
He groaned into his pillow.
Everything hurt.
His limbs were sore, his head was heavy, and he was absolutely not mentally prepared for another day at Ravenscroft Academy.
Still, duty won.
By first period, he was dragging himself across campus toward Advanced Literature.
The moment he entered the classroom, his eyes instinctively searched for Adrian.
And found him.
Seated at his usual desk.
Perfectly composed.
Hair neat.
Uniform immaculate.
No trace whatsoever of the soaked, laughing disaster from last night.
Kai frowned.
Adrian glanced up.
For one brief second, their eyes met.
Kai expected… something.
Acknowledgment.
A smirk.
Some silent reference to what had happened.
Instead Adrian’s expression turned instantly cool.
Detached.
As if last night had never happened.
Then he looked away.
Kai stopped walking.
His irritation sparked immediately.
Seriously?
That was how they were doing this?
Fine.
Two could play that game.
Kai marched to his seat and dropped into it harder than necessary.
Maya immediately leaned over.
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why do you also look weirdly offended?”
Kai glanced toward Adrian.
Who was calmly arranging his notes.
As if he hadn’t laughed with Kai in a dusty corridor at one in the morning.
As if none of it had happened.
Kai scowled.
“No reason.”
Maya followed his gaze.
Understanding flickered across her face.
Then a slow grin spread.
“Oh.”
Kai stiffened.
“Oh what?”
“You two had a moment.”
“We absolutely did not.”
“Mm-hm.”
“Maya.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“That defensive tone says otherwise.”
Kai glared.
Maya’s grin widened.
Before she could press further, Professor Eleanor Whitmore entered the room.
Class began.
And Adrian did not so much as glance in Kai’s direction once.
By lunch, Kai was furious.
Not because of anything Adrian had said.
That was the problem.
He hadn’t said anything.
Their entire morning interaction had consisted of cold professionalism and clipped academic discussion.
No trace of last night’s ease.
No shared amusement.
Nothing.
It was as if Adrian had deliberately reset everything.
Kai hated how much that bothered him.
By the time their afternoon study session arrived, his patience was gone.
He slammed his notebook onto the library table.
Adrian looked up coolly.
“Problem?”
Kai stared.
There it was.
That maddeningly composed expression.
That infuriatingly detached voice.
As if the person sitting across from him hadn’t laughed with him hours earlier.
“Why are you acting weird?”
Adrian blinked.
“Weirder than usual.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Kai narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, you do.”
“No.”
“Last night—”
Adrian cut him off sharply.
“We’re here to work.”
The dismissal hit harder than Kai expected.
Kai froze.
Something hot and unpleasant flared in his chest.
Oh.
So that was it.
Last night had meant nothing.
Just a temporary lapse in Adrian’s usual arrogance.
Kai’s jaw tightened.
Fine.
If Adrian wanted distance, he could have all of it.
“Right,” Kai said coldly. “Work.”
The tension between them snapped back into place instantly.
Familiar.
Sharp.
Safe.
And yet somehow more frustrating than before.
Their study session collapsed into argument within twenty minutes.
Every suggestion was challenged.
Every point disputed.
Every sentence dissected.
By the end, they were barely speaking except to criticize each other.
Exactly like before.
As they packed up, Adrian said flatly, “You’re impossible.”
Kai let out a humorless laugh.
“Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”
He grabbed his bag and turned to leave.
Then Adrian spoke again.
“Tomorrow. Same time.”
Kai paused.
It wasn’t a request.
It wasn’t an olive branch.
Just expectation.
He glanced back.
Adrian’s expression was unreadable.
Cold.
Controlled.
The exact opposite of the boy who’d laughed in the corridor.
Kai’s chest tightened with fresh irritation.
“Can’t wait,” he said sharply.
Then he walked out.
As he stepped into the fading evening light, one thought burned hotter than all the rest.
Whatever strange truce had existed between them last night was gone.
And somehow, that felt worse than if it had never happened at all.
Behind him, unseen, Adrian remained seated.
His eyes fixed on the library doorway long after Kai had disappeared.
And slowly, almost imperceptibly—
he reached into his pocket and unfolded a small, water-damaged scrap of white fabric.
The torn edge of last night’s banner.
Across it, barely visible beneath smeared ink, were four hastily written words neither of them had noticed in the chaos:
He still remembers but decided to ignore it, nothing last long....
- Writer
